Parasite Control

Worming Dogs

Have you ever thought about what might be living on the inside of your pet? Most of us have heard of worms in dogs and cats but where do they live, are they dangerous for your pet and what should you be doing about them? These are important questions to be asking as internal parasites can have a significant impact on your pet’s health and some of them can even be transmissible to humans, particularly children – not something you really want to be sharing with your pet!

Regular worming is essential to ensure the good health of your dog and the safety of you and your family. A good quality wormer to control roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm should be used. We recommend Popantel tablets.

Puppies should be wormed:

Every 2 weeks until 12 weeks old
Then every month until 6 months of age
From 6 months of age dogs should be wormed every 3 month. We can generate easy to remember text message reminders, so you do not forget the three-monthly dose. Just ask our friendly reception team to get them set up.

*Dogs living or visiting hydatid tapeworm areas or living on farms and eating offal should be wormed every 6 weeks to prevent hydatid disease.

Heartworm Prevention in Dogs

Heartworm is a parasite that lives inside the arteries of the lung and chambers of a pet’s heart and feed on surrounding blood. The disease is spread between pets via mosquitoes and can result in respiratory (breathing) failure, heart failure and severe damage to other organs. While heartworm are more commonly found in tropical areas of Australia, there have been cases of the disease in Canberra and given the severe and life threating consequences, prevention is much better than treatment!

Prevention: We recommend use of the pro-heart injection. This will require injections at the clinic at 3 months, 6 months 15 months and then annually for the rest of your dog’s life. There are many products on the market to protect against heartworm. The injection appears to be the most effective method of prevention and the benefit is, there is nothing for you to remember! We will send you a reminder when your pet is due.

Monthly tablets such as Nexgard Spectra are an alternative option which will protect your dog not only against heartworms, but also intestinal worms, ear mites, fleas and ticks. The key with these medications is that they MUST be given on time every month.

Worming Cats

Regular worming is essential to ensure the good health of your cat, and to prevent accidental infection of their humans. A good quality all-wormer to control roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm should be used. We recommend Milbemax tablets or Nexgard Spectra. Nexgard Spectra is an easy to use spot-on treatment that is simply applied to the back of the cat’s neck – no need for tablets or pastes. Used once a month, it treats fleas, ticks, heart worms, intestinal worms, and ear mites.

Kittens should be wormed:

Every 2 weeks from birth until 12 weeks of age
Then monthly until 6 months of age

Adult cats (over 6 months of age) need to be wormed every 3 months with Milbemaxor monthly if using Nexgard Spectra. Nexgard Spectrais safe for kittens from 8 weeks of age and is also safe for pregnant or lactating cats.

Worming Dogs

Puppies should be wormed:

Every 2 weeks until 12 weeks old
Then every month until 6 months of age
From 6 months of age dogs should be wormed every 3 month. We can generate easy to remember text message reminders, so you do not forget the three-monthly dose. Just ask our friendly reception team to get them set up.

*Dogs living or visiting hydatid tapeworm areas or living on farms and eating offal should be wormed every 6 weeks to prevent hydatid disease.

Heartworm Prevention in Dogs

Worming Cats

Kittens should be wormed:

Every 2 weeks from birth until 12 weeks of age
Then monthly until 6 months of age

Fleas and Ticks

Fleas

Fleas are found all over Australia and are common in Canberra. They live in our houses and in the outside environment. Only 5% of the surrounding flea population is found on your dog or cat – the rest are out there waiting! Fleas can cause intense discomfort, especially in allergic dogs and cats.

Paralysis ticks

The paralysis tick is usually found along the eastern coast of Australia and is common on the South Coast and in Sydney. More recently there have been a few cases of paralysis ticks on dogs and cats that haven’t left Canberra! The ticks live in humid, moist, bushy areas. The paralysis tick is toxic to dogs and cats. Year-round flea and tick prevention is recommended for your dog and cat. There are many products on the market that will treat one or both of these parasites. We strongly recommend year round coverage for paralysis ticks, ensuring your pet is protected is much easier, safer and cheaper than trying to treat deadly tick paralysis.

Products available are:

Bravecto Chewable Tablets (Dogs ONLY)

Treatment and control of Flea infestations for 3 months, effective in just 8 hours! This means effective control before fleas can lay eggs and contaminate your home!
Treatment and control of Paralysis Tick infestations for 4 months, effective in just 24 hours! This means effective control before a feeding tick starts to inject paralysis toxin!
Treatment and control of Brown Dog Tick infestations for 8 weeks.

BravectoSpot-On (Dogs ONLY)

BravectoSpot-On has made flea and tick prevention even easier! The new Spot-on gives even longer lasting protection than the popular Bravecto chew.

A single, easy application protects your dog for a full 6 months against fleas and paralysis ticks

BravectoQuantum (Dogs ONLY)

Bravecto Quantum is an annual injection to prevent against fleas and paralysis ticks. The great benefit of this medication is that there is nothing for you to remember! We will send you a reminder when your pet is due and you can rest easy knowing that they are protected.

Nexgard SpectraChewable Tablets (Dogs ONLY)

Nexgard Spectra is a soft, beef flavoured chew for dogs, making it easy to kill fleas and ticks. As it is a flavoured tablet administered orally, there is no need to worry about washing off after swimming, bathing, or grooming. This medication also covers for heartworm and intestinal worms, so can be a great way to cover all bases!

Cats and ticks?

Nexgard SpectraSpot-On has made flea and tick prevention even easier! A single, easy application protects your cat for 1 month against not only fleas and ticks, but also heart worms and intestinal worms.

Helpful hints – ticks:

Ticks are common in the low scrub along the coast. Keep your dog on a lead and avoid scrubby bush.

Twice daily searching of your pet is helpful to find recently attached ticks. If a tick is found, the tick should be removed at skin level. You should search for ticks daily for at least 10 days after returning from the coast.

Inner South Veterinary Centre is very happy to give advice about which product will best suit you and your pet. Please talk to our staff for advice.

If a tick or tick toxicity symptoms are noticed, seek immediate veterinary attention.